The Complex

In Delhi, in the 1970s, the sons and daughters of S.P. Chopra, one of India's political architects, live together in a sprawling complex-A-19 Modern Colony-vying for influence in a family shaped by the great man's legacy. By the end of the decade, the descendants are scrambling to define their own futures in a still-young nation on the brink of transformation. Newlyweds Gita and Sachin Chopra immigrate to America, believing it's the only way to escape the pressure cooker that is Sachin's prominent family. Yet Delhi remains an inescapable force, one that keeps pulling them back, even as Gita is menaced by Sachin's predatory uncle, Laxman. A man of restless ambition, Laxman ascends the ranks of a rising Hindu nationalist movement, while Vibha, his sister, tries to keep the peace and the reputation of the family intact. As India erupts in violence in the 1990s, and Laxman gains power, The Complex compels one to ask: Could the ferment in A-19 reflect the convulsions of a nation? Equal parts brilliant family saga and piercing political drama, this is an extraordinary novel of revenge and redemption, ambition and undoing, loyalty and love, by one of the most lauded voices in contemporary fiction.